The present invention relates to hydraulic system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing a dual mode compact hydraulic system.
Hydraulic actuators are commonly found in many engineered systems for a wide range of applications, including military, space, aerospace, and many industrials. Generally, a hydraulic system includes some elements such as a pump, a fluid supplier (reservoir), a connecting piping system, a closed hydraulic cylinder, and necessary control valves, etc. An electrical motor is commonly used to drive the hydraulic pump to pressurize the fluid for function. Traditionally, those elements of the hydraulic system are so designed as sub-system and/or sub-components that are not fully integrated.
Some disadvantages of prior hydraulic actuators are that the system is not compact, connecting pipes provide potential areas for leakage, and the reservoir must be oriented and installed to compensate for the effects of gravity on the reservoir. In addition, these systems are usually operated by power and are not manually overridden. Thus, these systems have limitations or are not suitable for applications that require a self-contained, fully integrated compact hydraulic system, which can be operated both by power and/or manually.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a compact integrated hydraulic system with dual power and manual operational modes.